French judge awards for Walsh, against Armstrong

Judge Catherine Bezio ordered Armstrong to pay the authors and publisher a symbolic €1.

The French-language book was written by David Walsh and Pierre Ballester.

Thibault de Montbrial, a lawyer for the publisher and authors, said that Armstrong could have made the doping denial when Walsh requested an interview.

Lawyers acting for La Martiniere said that finding in favour of Armstrong would signal the end of investigative journalism.

"The judge understood perfectly that by condemning Mr Armstrong for abusive practice that the interested party had tried to respond using the judicial channel to the journalists questions which he had refused to answer," said de Montbrial.